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Where to for Super Rugby?

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The Honey Badger

Jim Lenehan (48)
I have been saying it for ages, the "capture" of the actual rugby fan base of people who are already involved with the game is abysmal. Of the blokes I know still playing the game only a small percentage have Fox and being in a regional area very few of us get to the city to watch Super games.

Get a direct to consumer model somehow, or even if Fox provided a limited streaming service and I am positive there would be a large uptick in engagement.
Surely FTA is where it has got to be.

I posted in the thread made for this subject.

If ARU has the millions required to euthanase the Rebels, then they have enough kitty to talk to Channel 10 or maybe 7 and securing a lease over a digital FTA channels for a dedicated Rugby channel. (channel 10 is a basket case and loosing money, surely the supplementary channels are not worth much to them)

Then then they just need to write themselves $50M of advertising revenue.
Agree, the ARU screwed up. They were top of the world in 2003 from a financial and profile perspective and stuffed it.

Broadcast deal is $57 million per year (previously was $23 million a year). It is interesting that with an extra $24 million per year that we are suddenly in financial trouble.

It would be interesting to see a split of the deal between the International and Super Rugby. We keep on hearing that it is weighted towards the International but if it were 50:50 then we would need $28.5 million to recover the broadcast money for any future deal.

That would require 285,000 subscriptions at $100 each. Maybe do a tiered scheme with $85 for 1 team, $150 for all teams or something like that.

Of course, there are then extra costs required to broadcast the product.

I don't get Foxtel but I'd buy this (even at a bit more). Alternate option would be to incorporate in membership somehow. Drop the scarf and hat (I have more Rebel hats than I will ever need).


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ACT Crusader

Jim Lenehan (48)
  • Plenty of talk about accounting
  • Plenty of talk about law
  • Plenty of talk about business
  • Fark all talk about rugby.


Just maybe, that is where the root of the problem is in Australian Rugby, just maybe.

I think it goes without saying that professional rugby is business first and foremost. The business of entertainment and event management. So naturally, your first two points follow.
 
B

BLR

Guest
Surely FTA is where it has got to be.
I get this is always touted to be the solution but let's be honest, television in its current form is dying and will continue to die.

The FUTURE is on the internet, whether it is a Rugby Pass for the die hards with an accompanying 'match of the week' for free that will get the casuals in, the point is younger people don't watch TV anymore. The youth being born now will most likely view TV the way teens now view cassettes or floppy discs, they get the concept but it is horribly out-dated.

Imagine a program with rugby from 30 years ago available in the archives, punditry shows, documentaries etc. all for a minimal figure a month. You can watch the games during the season but during the off season you can perhaps catch up on 'Desperate Housewives of the Tahs' ;)
 

The Honey Badger

Jim Lenehan (48)
I get this is always touted to be the solution but let's be honest, television in its current form is dying and will continue to die.

The FUTURE is on the internet, whether it is a Rugby Pass for the die hards with an accompanying 'match of the week' for free that will get the casuals in, the point is younger people don't watch TV anymore. The youth being born now will most likely view TV the way teens now view cassettes or floppy discs, they get the concept but it is horribly out-dated.

Imagine a program with rugby from 30 years ago available in the archives, punditry shows, documentaries etc. all for a minimal figure a month. You can watch the games during the season but during the off season you can perhaps catch up on 'Desperate Housewives of the Tahs' ;)
Maybe so.

But I am pretty sure FTA will outlast subscription TV.

And in the short to medium term for the conservative rugby watching audience, Traditional FTA TV will still be favoured.



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kickedmyheight

Frank Nicholson (4)
I get this is always touted to be the solution but let's be honest, television in its current form is dying and will continue to die.

The FUTURE is on the internet, whether it is a Rugby Pass for the die hards with an accompanying 'match of the week' for free that will get the casuals in, the point is younger people don't watch TV anymore. The youth being born now will most likely view TV the way teens now view cassettes or floppy discs, they get the concept but it is horribly out-dated.

Imagine a program with rugby from 30 years ago available in the archives, punditry shows, documentaries etc. all for a minimal figure a month. You can watch the games during the season but during the off season you can perhaps catch up on 'Desperate Housewives of the Tahs' ;)
I have come around to this way of thinking too.

How great would it be to have a rugby Aus option on apple tv (say) that provided a central location for all the club rugby streams to be broadcast and the for a nominal fee (I would say between $5 and $10 a month) you could access all games in an expanded NRC?!

This could be a way to make the NRC financially profitable and generate far greater exposure of our game thereby generating new fans.

Super can stay on Foxtel and will live or die depending on how well it adapts but rugby in Australia will survive and possibly thrive again by getting ahead of the curve.

NB: lots of other things would need to occur as well, this is not a panacea, just a worthwhile option to consider.

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I like to watch

David Codey (61)
What were the problems?

I have to admit that I hadn't really looked at the option - $50 isn't too bad for 2 NRC matches a week
It was a bit of chore to subscribe, I think it was actually a news Corp subscription.
But on game day if you tried to log on,right on kick off, their system would shit itself.
They would also continually tell me that my password (that I use for everything, so I didn't forget it) was invalid, they would lock me out,and then I'd have to play the call centre game for 20 minutes.
Frustrating!
But the actual broadcast was fine,once you were logged on.
 

kiap

Steve Williams (59)
I get this is always touted to be the solution but let's be honest, television in its current form is dying and will continue to die.

The FUTURE is on the internet

Yes, it probably is … but … the transition will take some time.

FTA is still a good option now as (some) part of the mix for getting an audience for the game. The Shute Shield is showing it's possible, even if nominally revenue-negative for now.

Rugby probably can't be totally weaned off Pay TV revenue yet either, but I think there''ll be a need to get away from being solely locked in to it by having at least some good Rugby going through other platforms.
 

The Honey Badger

Jim Lenehan (48)
Yes, it probably is … but … the transition will take some time.

FTA is still a good option now as (some) part of the mix for getting an audience for the game. The Shute Shield is showing it's possible, even if nominally revenue-negative for now.

Rugby probably can't be totally weaned off Pay TV revenue yet either, but I think there''ll be a need to get away from being solely locked in to it by having at least some good Rugby going through other platforms.
Well maybe Fox would be a joint venture partner on a FTA channel.

But hiding Rugby behind a pay wall is really going to limit it's appeal.

I subscribe to the digital Newcorp deal and I have watched 2 games.

Just the very fact that it's not on the primary medium (normal TV) means it's too hard to watch, and I like watching rugby.

We want to start converting others and it's needs to be free and easily assessable.

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B

BLR

Guest
How great would it be to have a rugby Aus option on apple tv (say) that provided a central location for all the club rugby streams to be broadcast and the for a nominal fee (I would say between $5 and $10 a month) you could access all games in an expanded NRC?!

This could be a way to make the NRC financially profitable and generate far greater exposure of our game thereby generating new fans.

Super can stay on Foxtel and will live or die depending on how well it adapts but rugby in Australia will survive and possibly thrive again by getting ahead of the curve.

One interesting model is that of the WWE network. They traditionally had their weekly shows with Sky or Fox or whatever cable equivalent in the relevant markets and then would charge for PPV's, so, I dunno, $30-$40 let's say.

Now they decided only a few years ago to start their own network to tap that ongoing revenue stream.

Where it stands now is that their PPV's are still licensed out but also are on the streaming network but their weekly shows aren't on the network at all, being sold off to the cable providers.

They supplement their traditional offering with the outside shows like I was mentioning before, so your female orientated reality shows not wrestling based at all, documentaries about a whole range of subjects, decades of shows, and just shows of a couple of people sitting around chatting about what happened in the past. I would think very low cost to create/buy the rights for but once you have the content it continues to add to your value proposition.

I don't see why SANZAAR couldn't use a model like this. Perhaps go to Foxtel or the equivalent to see how much the archives for Super Rugby & the Tri nations would be, same with NRC, NPC, Curry Cup, hell, even see if the club comps can get in on the action. The Kick & Chase's, Rugby Centrals etc. All that programming that would still be held but never used. Even if Fox retains rights but SANZAAR can use it on a 5 year license as a streaming service. Hell, talk to Fox where they can get a cut to sweeten the deal.

Just build that product up and you have your package that people will buy even if they have a faint interest in what is going on at the moment. Think of the fan who hates the sport as it is but loves the Brumbies winning the title way back when.

This isn't even taking into account the actual live games, hell, like WWE perhaps rights to the live games will be too hard to get at this moment but if you offered a basic stream to club games, NRC, NPC etc. with all the past content perhaps you have a way forward.
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
  • Plenty of talk about accounting
  • Plenty of talk about law
  • Plenty of talk about business
  • Fark all talk about rugby.


Just maybe, that is where the root of the problem is in Australian Rugby, just maybe.

You're in the wrong thread. This is a thrashwank-a-thon. ;)
 

kiap

Steve Williams (59)
Needs a new icon.
You're in the wrong thread. This is a thrashwank-a-thon.
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Fixxed
 

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